By Rosalind Cummings-Yeates
BLUES RECOGNITION
T
he buzz started a month in advance.
Chicago blues artists began offering
congratulations to each other. Social
media statuses unveiled announcements of
a selection process that inspired waves of
excitement. Plans were made and schedules adjusted to attend the ceremony. No,
it's not the Grammys. That event hardly
acknowledges the existence of blues, let
Considering the high level of Chicago's
blues talent, that's not really an issue but as
a 40-year veteran of the music industry,
Michael has firsthand experience on how
unpredictable things can be. "I was signed
to Atlantic Records at 19, Ahmet Ertugun
personally signed me, " he said. Micheal’s
group, Papa Nebo, formed in 1969 and
although it was categorized as progressive
Michael Packer
alone nominates blues musicians. No, the
joy was centered around the blues version
of the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame: The
Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. The Chicago
blues community is poised in anticipation
for the induction ceremony that will honor
35 local musicians, organizers, club owners
and authors for doing their part in keeping
the blues alive. The October ceremony at
Buddy Guy's Legends is the city's most
celebrated blues event after the Chicago
Blues Fest and the acknowledgment for
the sorely needed awards ceremony goes
to "blues hall of fame ambassador"
Michael Packer.
"It's all about recognizing all the blues
figures who haven't gotten their due,"
explained Michael on a call from his Staten
Island home. "The whole thing is, I'm not
just inducting the names that everybody
knows but the men and women who go
out every night and are excellent but get no
recognition. They all deserve recognition."
And he's serious about supplying that
recognition. The Chicago Blues Hall of
Fame ceremony doesn't just induct the
expected 10 or so highly visible artists.
Packer considers anybody who has made a
lasting impact, from filmmakers to website
owners and attempts to include as many as
possible in each ceremony. The first ceremony in 2013, focused on legends like
Willie Dixon, and Muddy Waters but also
awarded up and comers like Torranzo
Cannon as well as magazines and record
labels. There were about 20 awardees for
that first event and the list seems to grow
each year as Packer discovers more people
working to promote the blues on many different levels.
"I have a lot of help with getting the
nominees," Michael said. "I've made a lot of
friends in Chicago and they keep an eye
out for me. I get suggestions and then I
look at their history and their YouTube
videos. I don't want someone on stage and
they're horrible."
rock, he insists that blues was always the
undercurrent. "I listened to Lightening
Hopkins and Paul Butterfield as a kid. My
songs were blues oriented with harmonica." Michael headed to San Francisco and
delved deeper into the blues when he started playing on the streets with George
Thorogood. "When I met George, I discovered John Lee Hooker and John
Hammond. He was doing covers of the
greats; Willie Dixon, Muddy Waters. The
more I listened, the more I heard the blues
connection in everything else I played."
Michael headed back to New York City
in the early '70s and formed the band, Free
Beer. They toured extensively, opening for
the decade's notable players, including the
Atlanta Rhythm Section and Dr. Hook. "It
was countryish type music but my end of it
was more blues," he said of the group's
sound. The group recorded three albums
for RCA and Buddha before breaking up
in the late 70s. He formed the Michael
Packer Blues Band in 1980, opening \ H